Vending machine closed-loop control system and vending machine

Abstract

The present invention relates to a closed-loop control system for a vending machine, comprising a microcontroller unit, a power management module, a driving circuit and a detection circuit, wherein a closed-loop circuit is formed between the driving circuit, the detection circuit and the microcontroller unit, so as to further realize the feedback of the operating status information of the vending machine to achieve accurate control of the operation of the driving circuit. The closed-loop control system for the vending machine forms a closed-loop circuit between the driving circuit, the detection circuit and the microcontroller unit, and uses the detection element in the detection circuit to detect the operating status of each actuator of the driving circuit and feeds back the detected information to the microcontroller unit, so as to realize the real-time position monitoring and data feedback of the mechanical arm of the vending machine grabbing the goods, so as to allow the microcontroller unit to accurately locate and grab the goods, and avoid the situation that the movement position of the mechanical arm of the vending machine is not accurately located, resulting in the goods purchased by the consumer being different from the goods sold by the vending machine.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of vending machine control, and in particular, to a closed-loop control system for a vending machine. The present invention also provides a vending machine closed-loop control system using the closed-loop control system. Background Art

[0002] A vending machine (VEM) is a machine that can automatically pay for goods according to the coins inserted; vending machines are common equipment for commercial automation. They are not restricted by time and place, can save manpower and facilitate transactions. It is a new form of commercial retail, also known as a 24-hour mini supermarket. At present, there are four common vending machines in China: beverage vending machines, food vending machines, comprehensive vending machines, and cosmetics vending machines.

[0003] The control system of existing vending machines adopts open control, without detection and circulation modules, and cannot realize real-time position monitoring and data feedback of the robot. As a result, the movement of the robot controlled by the vending machine to automatically deliver goods is inaccurate, resulting in the goods purchased by consumers being different from the goods sold by the vending machine, resulting in the occurrence of mismatched goods.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a closed-loop vending machine control system that can accurately control the operation of a delivery robot in a closed loop to address the deficiencies of the prior art. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention provides a vending machine closed-loop control system that can monitor the position of a robot in real time and generate data feedback, thereby forming a closed loop signal feedback and accurately controlling the operation of the vending machine delivery robot.

[0006] The technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0007] A vending machine closed-loop control system is used on a driving board of the vending machine, the driving board is connected to a main board, a communication module is provided on the main board, the vending machine closed-loop control system includes a micro control unit, a power management module, a driving circuit and a detection circuit, wherein:

[0008] A power management module, used to connect to an input power source to convert it into low-voltage direct current, and provide it to the micro control unit, the communication module, the drive circuit and the detection circuit;

[0009] A communication module, used to transmit information of a mobile terminal to the micro control unit, the communication module is connected to the mobile terminal, and the communication module is also connected to the micro control unit;

[0010] A driving circuit, used to drive the manipulator on the vending machine to operate to grab the goods on the vending machine and transport them to the delivery port of the vending machine, wherein the driving circuit is provided with a plurality of driving circuits, each of which is connected to an actuator and used to drive the actuator to operate;

[0011] A detection circuit is used to detect whether the robot conveys the goods to the delivery port and whether the consumer takes the goods from the delivery port, and then feeds back the detected information to the micro control unit. The detection circuit is provided with a detection element corresponding to each of the drive circuits, and the detection element is used to detect the operating state of the actuator;

[0012] A micro control unit controls the operation of the driving circuit according to information fed back by the detection circuit;

[0013] A closed loop is formed between the driving circuit, the detection circuit and the micro control unit to further realize the feedback of the operating status information of the vending machine to achieve accurate control of the operation of the driving circuit.

[0014] Preferably, the detection circuit further comprises a second switch element connected to the control end of the detection element, the second switch element is connected to the micro control unit, the micro control unit is also connected to the base of a field effect tube, the collector of the field effect tube is respectively connected to the gate and source of a MOS tube, and the drain of the MOS tube is connected to the power supply end of the detection element; the micro control unit controls the operation of the detection element through the field effect tube and the MOS tube, and the detection electrical signal of the detection element is transmitted to the micro control unit to form a detection loop. Wherein, the field effect tube is a triode.

[0015] Furthermore, the detection element is an encoder, which is used to monitor the position information of the actuator driving the robot to operate.

[0016] Furthermore, the detection element is a sensor, which is used to detect whether there are any obstructions in the area where the goods are placed, the delivery port and the safety grating on the vending machine.

[0017] Preferably, the driving circuit includes a driving chip and a first switching element connected to the driving chip, the output end of the first switching element is connected to the control end of the executive element, the driving chip is connected to the microcontroller unit, the microcontroller unit outputs a high level to drive the driving chip to work, the driving chip outputs a high level when working, the first switching element is turned on to drive the executive element to work.

[0018] Furthermore, the driving circuit includes three driving circuits, and the three driving circuits are respectively an X-axis driving circuit, a Y-axis driving circuit and a Z-axis driving circuit.

[0019] Preferably, the closed-loop control system of the vending machine also includes two delivery port drive circuits connected to the microcontroller, each of the delivery port drive circuits is used to control the opening and closing of the delivery port or safety grating on the vending machine, and the delivery port drive circuit includes a photoelectric isolator connected to the single-chip microcomputer, a third switching element connected to the photoelectric isolator, and an electrical control device connected to the third switching element, and the electrical control device is connected to the actuator of the delivery port or safety grating of the vending machine.

[0020] Preferably, the micro control unit includes a single chip microcomputer.

[0021] Preferably, the communication module includes a wireless 4G module, and the wireless 4G module is communicatively connected with the micro control unit via an RS485 bus.

[0022] Preferably, the mobile terminal uses a PCIE bus to communicate with the communication module to connect the mobile terminal to the mainboard, and the communication module and the driver board use an RS485 bus to connect the mainboard to the driver board.

[0023] According to another aspect of the present invention, a vending machine is provided, comprising the vending machine closed-loop control system described in any one of the above embodiments.

[0024] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: compared with the prior art, the closed-loop control system of the vending machine forms a closed-loop circuit through the drive circuit, the detection circuit and the microcontroller unit, and uses the detection element in the detection circuit to detect the operating status of each actuator of the drive circuit and feeds back the detection information to the microcontroller unit, thereby realizing real-time position monitoring and data feedback of the robot arm of the vending machine grabbing goods, so that the microcontroller unit can accurately locate and grab the goods, avoiding the situation where the movement position of the robot arm of the vending machine is inaccurate and the goods purchased by the consumer are different from the goods sold by the vending machine. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the vending machine control device of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 2 It is a framework diagram of the closed-loop control system of the vending machine of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 3 This is a framework diagram of the power management module of the closed-loop control system of the vending machine described in the present invention.

[0028] Figure 4 The frame diagram of the drive circuit of the closed-loop control system of the vending machine of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 5 The frame diagram of the delivery port drive circuit of the closed-loop control system of the vending machine of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 6 The circuit schematic diagram of the delivery port drive circuit of the closed-loop control system of the vending machine of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 7 It is a framework diagram of the detection circuit of the closed-loop control system of the vending machine of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 8 The circuit schematic diagram of the detection circuit of the closed-loop control system of the vending machine of the present invention.

[0033] Fig. 9 This is a flow chart of the closed-loop control system operation of the vending machine for consumers to purchase goods from the vending machine of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] In order to make the purpose of the invention, technical scheme and technical effect of the present invention clearer, the present invention is further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. The terms used in the specification of the present invention herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. The term "and / or" used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more related listed items.

[0035] The vending machine closed-loop control system of the present invention is applicable to vending machines with automatic control operation, industrial manipulators used for fixed-point positioning and grabbing, manipulators used in the handling industry, and the operation of transplanting mechanisms. Figure 1 The control device of the vending machine in the closed-loop control system of the vending machine of the present invention comprises a mobile terminal with a display screen and a control board, the control board comprises a main board and a driving board connected to the main board in communication, the main board is provided with a communication module, a mobile terminal uses a PCIE bus to communicate with the communication module to connect the mobile terminal to the main board, and the communication module and the driving board use an RS485 bus to connect the main board to the driving board. The driving board is used to drive the robot arm of the vending machine to grab or deliver items, and the closed-loop control system of the vending machine is arranged on the driving board.

[0036] Please refer to Figure 2, the closed-loop control system of the vending machine includes a microcontroller unit and a power management module and a driving module electrically connected to the microcontroller unit, the communication module is connected to the microcontroller unit, the driving module includes a driving circuit and a detection circuit connected to the driving circuit, the detection circuit is electrically connected to the microcontroller unit, and a closed-loop circuit is formed between the driving circuit, the detection circuit and the microcontroller unit. Wherein, the mobile terminal is used for human-computer interaction with consumers, and the display screen of the mobile terminal displays information about the goods sold by the vending machine and information about the purchases by consumers. Specifically in this embodiment, the mobile terminal is a computer with a touch screen, and can also be a PC, a laptop, a tablet computer, an LCD display, etc.

[0037] Please refer to Figure 2 , the microcontroller includes a single-chip microcomputer, and the single-chip microcomputer controls the operation of the driving circuit according to the information fed back by the detection circuit. Specifically in this embodiment, the power management module supplies power to the single-chip microcomputer, and the single-chip microcomputer is connected to the detection circuit. The model of the single-chip microcomputer is preferably STM32F103VET6.

[0038] Please refer to Figure 3 The power management module is used to connect with an input power source to convert it into low-voltage direct current, and provide it to the micro control unit, the communication module, the drive circuit and the detection circuit. The power management module includes a first step-down circuit, a second step-down circuit and a third step-down circuit. Specifically, the first step-down circuit and the second step-down circuit are respectively connected to the power input terminal, and the third step-down circuit is connected to the first step-down circuit. Specifically in this embodiment, the input power supply is preferably 24V DC power. The input power supply outputs 24V DC power after rectification by the first step-down circuit. The 4V DC power outputs 5V DC power through the LM2596R-5 step-down chip of the first step-down circuit. The 5V DC power outputs 3.3V DC power through the AMS1117-3.3 step-down chip of the third step-down circuit. The 3.3V DC power supplies power for the detection circuit, the micro control unit and the communication module; the input power supply also outputs 12V DC power through the LM2596R-12 step-down chip of the second step-down circuit. The 12V DC power outputs 5V DC power through the LM2596R-5 step-down chip of the second step-down circuit. The 5V DC power supplies power for the drive circuit.

[0039] Please refer to Figure 2The communication module is used to transmit the information of the mobile terminal to the micro control unit, and the communication module includes a wireless 4G module. Specifically in this embodiment, the wireless 4G module is preferably a 4G wireless communication module of the YUGA CLM920 model. In other embodiments, the communication module can also use wireless protocols such as network, Bluetooth, and wifi for communication.

[0040] Please refer to Figure 4 , the driving circuit is used to drive a manipulator to grab the goods on the vending machine and deliver them to the delivery port of the vending machine. The driving circuit includes at least three driving circuits. The vending machine control system is provided with a corresponding detection circuit corresponding to each driving circuit. Each driving circuit is connected to an executive element. The driving circuit includes a driving chip connected to the micro control unit and a first switch element connected to the driving chip. The output end of the first switch element is connected to the control end of the executive element. The driving chip is connected to the micro control unit. The micro control unit outputs a high level to drive the driving chip to work. The driving chip works and outputs a high level. The first switch element is turned on to drive the executive element to work. Among them, the executive element is the driving motor of the manipulator; the three driving circuits are respectively the X-axis driving circuit, the Y-axis driving circuit and the Z-axis driving circuit. The driving circuit controls the executive element from the three directions of the X-axis, the Y-axis and the Z-axis to control the operation of the manipulator to realize the grabbing and delivery of the goods on the vending machine. Specifically in this embodiment, the actuator is a motor, the driver chip is preferably a TC100 stepper motor driver chip, and the first switch element is preferably an IR2101 MOS tube. In other embodiments, the driver chip can be a LG9110 motor driver chip, and the first switch element can be a triode, field effect tube or other electronic components used for switching.

[0041] Please refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6, the driving module also includes two delivery port driving circuits connected to the microcontroller, each of which is used to control the opening and closing of the delivery port or safety grating on the vending machine, and the delivery port driving circuit includes a photoelectric isolator connected to the single-chip microcomputer, a third switch element connected to the photoelectric isolator, and an electric control device connected to the third switch element, and the electric control device is connected to the delivery port or the executive element of the safety grating of the vending machine. Wherein, the single-chip microcomputer port connected to the photoelectric coupler outputs a high level, the third switch element is turned on, the electric control device is electrically turned on, the delivery port or the executive element of the safety grating of the vending machine works, and the delivery port or the safety grating of the vending machine is opened; the single-chip microcomputer port connected to the photoelectric coupler outputs a low level, the third switch element is turned off, the electric control device is powered off, the delivery port or the executive element of the safety grating of the vending machine does not work, and the delivery port or the safety grating of the vending machine is in a closed state. Specifically in this embodiment, the photoelectric isolator is preferably an EL37H photoelectric isolator, the third switch element is preferably a MOS tube, and the electrical control device is preferably a relay. In other embodiments, the third switch element can be an electronic component for switching, such as a triode, a field effect tube, etc., and the electrical control device can be a micro switch, a proximity switch, etc.

[0042] Please refer to Figure 7 and Figure 8, the detection circuit is used to detect whether the manipulator conveys the goods to the delivery port and whether the consumer takes the goods from the delivery port, and then feeds back the detected information to the micro control unit. The detection circuit includes a detection element and a second switch element connected to the control end of the detection element, and the second switch element is connected to the micro control unit. Among them, the second switch element is set at the position of the product placement area, delivery port, etc. of the vending machine. Specifically in this embodiment, each actuator on the driving module is provided with the detection element, and the detection element is an encoder, and the encoder is connected to the single-chip microcomputer; each area for placing goods, delivery port and safety grating on the vending machine is provided with the detection element, and the detection element is used to detect whether there is an obstruction in each area for placing goods, delivery port and safety grating, and the detection element is a photosensitive sensor. The second switch element is a triode. In other embodiments, the detection element can be an infrared sensor, an optical fiber sensor, etc. for detecting the presence of an object at a certain position. Specifically, the output end of the micro control unit is connected to the base of a seventh transistor Q7, the collector of the seventh transistor Q7 is connected to the gate and source of a sixteenth MOS tube D16, the gate and source of the sixteenth MOS tube D16 are connected to the power input end, the drain of the sixteenth MOS tube D16 is connected to the power supply end of the detection element to supply power to the detection element, and the control end of the detection element is connected to the micro control unit through the second switch element, the micro control unit controls the operation of the detection element through the field effect tube and the MOS tube, and the detection electric signal of the detection element forms a detection loop when transmitted to the micro control unit, thereby improving the closed-loop control system of the vending machine to accurately control the operation of each drive circuit and each delivery port drive circuit. When the control end of the detection element has an electric signal output, the second switch element is turned on, the micro control unit has an electric signal input, and the detection element feeds back the detected information electric signal to the micro control unit; when the control end of the detection element has no electric signal output, the second switch element is turned off, and the micro control unit has no electric signal input.

[0043] Please refer to Fig. 9 , Fig. 9The closed-loop control system of a vending machine for consumers to purchase goods is operated as a flow chart. The closed-loop control system of the vending machine is wirelessly connected to the mobile terminal via a 485 bus. The consumer selects the goods to be purchased on the mobile terminal. The mobile terminal transmits the electrical signal of the consumer purchasing the goods to the micro-control unit through the communication module. The micro-control unit receives the electrical signal of the consumer purchasing the goods. The micro-control unit controls the operation of the actuators of the three drive circuits and the micro-control unit drives the encoder to operate. The encoder detects the position information of the actuator of each drive circuit and transmits the electrical signal to the micro-control unit. At the same time, the micro-control unit controls the sensor for detecting the goods purchased by the consumer on the vending machine to start. After the sensor detects the goods purchased by the consumer, the signal is transmitted to the micro-control unit. The microcontrol unit controls the actuator of the Z-axis drive circuit to place the goods purchased by the consumer on the vending machine at the delivery port of the vending machine, and then the microcontrol unit controls the actuators of the three drive circuits to stop working. The microcontrol unit controls the two delivery port drive circuits to work, thereby controlling their actuators to run to open the delivery port and the safety grating of the vending machine. The consumer takes out the purchased goods from the delivery port of the vending machine. The sensor located in the delivery port of the vending machine detects that there is no goods in the delivery port of the vending machine. The sensor transmits the detected electrical signal to the microcontrol unit, and the microcontrol unit controls the two delivery port drive circuits to stop working, thereby controlling their actuators to stop running to close the delivery port and the safety grating of the vending machine, and displays the purchased goods taken out by the consumer from the vending machine on the transfer terminal.

[0044] According to another aspect of the present invention, a vending machine is provided, comprising the vending machine closed-loop control system described in any one of the above embodiments.

[0045] The closed-loop control system of the vending machine forms a closed-loop circuit between the drive circuit, the detection circuit and the microcontroller, and uses the detection element in the detection circuit to detect the operating status of each actuator of the drive circuit and feeds back the detection information to the microcontroller, thereby realizing real-time position monitoring and data feedback of the robot arm of the vending machine grabbing goods, so that the microcontroller can accurately locate and grab the goods, avoiding the situation that the movement position of the robot arm of the vending machine is inaccurate and the goods purchased by the consumer are different from the goods sold by the vending machine.

[0046] The above content is a further detailed description of the present invention in combination with specific preferred implementation methods, and it cannot be determined that the specific implementation of the present invention is limited to these descriptions. For ordinary technicians in the technical field to which the present invention belongs, without departing from the concept of the present invention, its architecture can be flexible and can derive a series of products. Just making a few simple deductions or substitutions should be regarded as belonging to the scope of patent protection of the present invention determined by the submitted claims.

Claims

1. A vending machine closed-loop control system, used on a drive board of a vending machine, wherein the drive board is connected to a main board, characterized in that: The main board is provided with a communication module, and the vending machine closed-loop control system includes a microcontroller unit, a power management module, a driving circuit and a detection circuit, wherein: A power management module, used to connect to an input power source to convert it into low-voltage direct current, and provide it to the micro control unit, the communication module, the drive circuit and the detection circuit; A communication module, used to transmit information of a mobile terminal to the micro control unit, the communication module is connected to the mobile terminal, and the communication module is also connected to the micro control unit; A driving circuit, used to drive the manipulator on the vending machine to operate to grab the goods on the vending machine and transport them to the delivery port of the vending machine, wherein the driving circuit is provided with a plurality of driving circuits, each of which is connected to an actuator and used to drive the actuator to operate; A detection circuit is used to detect whether the robot conveys the goods to the delivery port and whether the consumer takes the goods from the delivery port, and then feeds back the detected information to the micro control unit. The detection circuit is provided with a detection element corresponding to each of the drive circuits, and the detection element is used to detect the operating state of the actuator; A micro control unit controls the operation of the driving circuit according to information fed back by the detection circuit; A closed loop is formed between the driving circuit, the detection circuit and the micro control unit to further realize feedback of the operating status information of the vending machine to achieve accurate control of the operation of the driving circuit; The detection circuit also includes a second switch element connected to the control end of the detection element, the second switch element is connected to the micro control unit, the micro control unit is also connected to the base of a field effect tube, the collector of the field effect tube is respectively connected to the gate and source of a MOS tube, and the drain of the MOS tube is connected to the power supply end of the detection element; the micro control unit controls the operation of the detection element through the field effect tube and the MOS tube, and the detection electrical signal of the detection element is transmitted to the micro control unit to form a detection circulation loop; The driving circuit includes a driving chip and a first switching element connected to the driving chip, the output end of the first switching element is connected to the control end of the executive element, the driving chip is connected to the micro control unit, the micro control unit outputs a high level to drive the driving chip to work, the driving chip outputs a high level when working, the first switching element is turned on to drive the executive element to work.

2. The closed-loop control system of a vending machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The detection element is an encoder, which is used to monitor the position information of the actuator driving the robot to operate.

3. The closed-loop control system of a vending machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The detection element is a sensor, which is used to detect whether there are any obstructions in the area where goods are placed, the delivery port and the safety grating on the vending machine.

4. The closed-loop control system of a vending machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving circuit comprises three driving circuits, which are respectively an X-axis driving circuit, a Y-axis driving circuit and a Z-axis driving circuit.

5. The closed-loop control system of a vending machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The microcontroller unit includes a single-chip microcomputer; the communication module includes a wireless 4G module, and the wireless 4G module is communicatively connected with the microcontroller unit via an RS485 bus.

6. The closed-loop control system for a vending machine according to claim 5, characterized in that: The vending machine closed-loop control system is provided with two delivery port drive circuits, each of which includes a photoelectric isolator connected to the microcontroller unit, a third switching element connected to the photoelectric isolator, and an electrical control device connected to the third switching element, wherein the electrical control device is connected to the delivery port of the vending machine or the actuator of the safety light grid.

7. A vending machine, characterized in that: It comprises a vending machine closed-loop control system as described in any one of claims 1-6.

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